Rhodesia shuttle on

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 9

Rhodesia shuttle on

NZPA-Reuter Dar-es-Salaam, The British' envoy, Mr I, Cledwyn Hughes, will today meet the Tanzanian Presi-| dent (Dr Julius Nyerere) onj the first stage of a southern' African tour designed to set! up an all-party Rhodesia! peace conference. 1 Dr Nyerere is chairman of the five black African "front-line” States, which support the Rhodesian guerrillas and which have also backed Anglo-American efforts to bring the six-year Rhodesian war to an end and introduce black majority rale in the breakaway Brit- ' jsh colony.

, However, in the last fewii (months the “front-line” j 1 (group — Tanzania, Zambia,li I Mozambique,' Botswana, and Angola — have been split I by differences arising from 1 ; secret talks in Lusaka be- t ! tween the Rhodesian Prime i ( Minister (Mr lan Smith) and 1 | the Rhodesian guerrilla lead- , er, Mr Joshua Nkomo. i It is not clear whether ] they still have a unified ap- ; proach on the Anglo-Ameri- J can peace plan for Rhodesia unveiled 14 months ago. Mr Hughes, a veteran i British politician, is the per- t sonal envoy of the British < Prime Minister (Mr James i Callaghan), who has said he t is willing to preside over a c

: Camp David-style all-party l Rhodesian summit meeting jin England early next year. On arrival from London, Mr Hughes said he put no time limit on his mission and would be willing to undertake shuttle diplomacy between the southern African States involved in the conflict. He is accompanied by the United States ambassador to Zambia (Mr Stephen Low). Mr Hughes said: “It will be my task through consultations with all the parties and Government most closely concerned to establish whether the right climate for a meeting exists or can be created.”